Tenant Information

Starting the Tenancy

When your application is approved you will be required to leave a holding fee of 1 weeks rent to secure the premises. This holding fee will go towards the first weeks rent and is non-refundable should you change your mind.

To sign the lease, you will be required to pay 2 weeks rent upfront (or 1 month’s rent if you choose to pay monthly) plus a bond of 4 weeks rent.

It is strongly recommended to read the lease thoroughly and ask questions for anything that you do not understand. You are committing to a legally binding contract for which there is no cooling-off period. You will want to ensure that you understand and agree to what you are signing.

Within the first 2 months, a lodgement receipt will be posted to you from Fair Trading to confirm that your bond has been lodged with your Rental Bond number. If you do not receive this, please contact them on 13 32 20.

Helpful tips for a hassle free tenancy:

  • Keep a copy of your lease, condition report, rent receipts, rental bond number and other correspondence in a safe spot.
  • Never stop paying your rent, even if there is an issue as this will affect your tenancy record and may cause you to be evicted
  • If repairs are needed, put your request in writing
  • Comply with the terms of your lease. In particular, never make any alternations, keep a pet or let other people move in without receiving written permission from your landlord/agent.
  • Consider taking out home contents insurance. It will cover your belongings in case of theft, fires and property damage. The Landlord’s building insurance, if they have it, will not cover your things.

Utility Connections

It is the tenant’s responsibility to get all services to the property connected in their name. The Landlord or Express Realty can not guarantee that any of the below services are available. It is up to the tenant to make their own enquiries.

Connect Now is a free service that provides assistance with the connection of essential services from gas & electricity to removalists and insurance. They can be contacted on 1300 554 323 or just let us know that you want to be contacted and we will request a Connect Now representative contact you directly.

Electricity & Gas
Energy Australia 131 535
AGL                  131 245

Rental Payments

Rental Payments can be made by using one of the following convenient methods:

1. Registering with DEFT payment system to directly transfer the funds from your nominated bank account or Credit Card.
Visit DEFT at www.deft.com.au

2. Paying by bpay with Biller Code 4481 and your DEFT reference number

3. Posting a Bank Cheque or Money Order payable to “Express Realty” to our office

For security reasons we do not accept rental payments in cash. Personal cheques are also not accepted.

Rent must always be paid in advance.  If at anytime rent cannot be paid on the due date, please contact your property manager in writing to arrange a payment plan that may be put to the Landlord for approval.

It is the tenants responsibility to ensure that rent is always paid on time. If rent is not received and falls fourteen days in arrears, a Termination Notice will be automatically issued along with an application to the NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal for payment of the outstanding rent as well as Termination of the Tenancy Agreement and possession of the premises.

Residential Premises Condition Reports

It is a requirement that a condition report be completed by the landlord and the tenant. This condition report is an important record of the condition of the residential premises when the tenancy begins and may be used as evidence of the state of repair or general condition of the premises at the commencement of the tenancy. It is important to complete the condition report accurately. It may be vital if there is a dispute, particularly about the return of the bond money and any damage to the premises.

At the end of the tenancy the premises will be inspected and the condition of the premises at that time will be compared to that stated in the original condition report.

Two copies of the report which have been filled out and signed by the landlord or landlord’s agent will be given to the tenant before the tenancy commences.

The tenant should complete the tenants section of the condition report as soon as possible and return one copy to the landlord or landlord’s agent within 7 days after receiving it and keep the second copy.

Repairs & Maintenance

All repairs must be in writing, please complete an online maintenance request (click here) to be sent directly to your property manager.

All repairs will be attended to as promptly as possible however it is often necessary to obtain the Landlord’s approval and/or quotes before any work can commence. Our tradespeople will always contact you directly to arrange a convenient appointment time. Please do not arrange maintenance yourself as unauthorised work may be charged back to you.

Repairs & Maintenance

All repairs must be in writing, please complete an online maintenance request (click here) to be sent directly to your property manager.

All repairs will be attended to as promptly as possible however it is often necessary to obtain the Landlord’s approval and/or quotes before any work can commence. Our tradespeople will always contact you directly to arrange a convenient appointment time. Please do not arrange maintenance yourself as unauthorised work may be charged back to you.

Urgent Repairs (after hours)

If there is an after hours urgent repair the tradesmen listed on your tenancy Agreement can be called. However, if it is not an emergency and you do call these tradesmen you may be liable for the emergency callout. Please email your property manager as soon as possible to provide details of the incident.

PLEASE REFER TO CLAUSE 19 OF YOUR TENANCY AGREEMENT WHICH DETAILS THE CLASSIFICATION OF AN URGENT REPAIR.

Electrical Repairs
Sterns Electrical – 0412 164 461
Energy Australia – 131 388

Plumbing, Gas Leaks & Hot Water Repairs
Eastern Suburbs Emergency Plumbing – 0410 522 799
AGL Emergency – 131 909 (24 hr Gas Emergencies)

Emergency Locksmith & Maintenance
Budget Hardware & Locksmith – 9365 4623

State Emergency Services  (S.E.S)

SES – 13 25 00

(Natural disasters: flooding, storm damage, tree branch damage, severe roof damage etc)

Ending the Tenancy

The Tenancy Agreement is a legal and binding document and can be terminated:

a. By giving a minimum of 14 days written notice within the last 14 days of the fixed term Agreement

b. By giving a minimum of 21 days written notice after the fixed term of the agreement has expired.

The notice period commences from the date that the written notice is received by our office. We highly recommend that you contact Express Realty to confirm that your notice has been received should confirmation not be received by the next business day.

Keys should be returned on the vacate date and all belongings removed, otherwise rent will be continued to be charged until the keys are returned and vacant possession is given.

Once you have made your final rent payment, remember to cancel your registration with DEFT if you have set-up automatic payments. If you do not do this, automatic rent payments will keep being debited from your account.
• DEFT Payment Systems – Ph. 1300 301 090 (www.deft.com.au)

As part of the Residential Tenancy Agreement, the tenant is required to provide access to the landlord/agent to show the premises to prospective tenants within the last few weeks of the tenancy. Access will be required on Saturdays for a open for inspection and during the week. A representative from our office will contact you to advise when access is required.

Breaking the Tenancy Early

If an unforeseen circumstance arises and you are to break your lease by vacating before the fixed term of your Tenancy Agreement expires you are to notify your property manager in writing immediately to provide as much notice as possible.

A break fee would be payable should you move out before the end of the fixed term. The break fee is:

  • 6 weeks rent if you vacate in the first half of the fixed term
  • 4 weeks rent if you vacate in the second half of the fixed term

Rent is payable until keys are returned and possession of the premises handed back to the Landlord.

Vacating and the Final Inspection

Final Bond inspections can not be carried out until ALL belongings have been removed and ALL keys (incl. security cards & remote controls) returned.  Rent will continue to be charged until all keys are returned and vacant possession is given.

The full rent amount should be paid prior to vacating the unit. If you are not sure of your final rent amount, please contact our office. Under no circumstance is the bond to be used as rent. This also ensures your entitlement to receive a reference letter for your future use.

A Final Inspection Guide will be provided to assist you in ensuring that your bond is refunded in full with a minimum delay. It clearly defines areas which have been the cause of delays in bond refunds in the past.

Please be aware that our office does not carry out Bond inspections on Saturdays or after hours. If you would like to be present at the time of the final inspection please contact your property manager at least 2 business days prior to your vacate date to schedule a suitable time for the inspection. Otherwise, please return the keys to our office on the date that your notice expires. Keys are not to be left in the property.